The Gateway Grizzlies had runners on base in nearly every inning on Tuesday night, and runners in scoring position regularly, but could not come up with the clutch hits they needed in a slim, 2-1 loss to the Joliet Slammers at Duly Health and Care Field.Â
Joliet scored both of their runs in the second inning on back-to-back RBI hits by Phil Steering and Christian Fedko, taking a 2-0 lead. Those were the only runs that Parker Johnson (0-1) allowed over six strong innings in an impressive professional debut that saw the right-hander strike out six batters and not issue a single walk.Â
Gateway got one run back immediately in the top of the third to get within 2-1 when Abdiel Diaz led off with a single against Turner Larkins (7-4), stole second base, and scored on an RBI single by Jairus Richards. Â
The Grizzlies would then get the tying run into scoring position a whopping five times in the final seven frames of the game, including all the way to third base on three of those occasions, but never got the hit they needed with men on base, amassing 10 total hits to out-hit the Slammers 10-8, but stranding 12 for the game with eight of those in scoring position in the narrow defeat.Â
Gateway will look to bounce back on Wednesday night, August 2, at 6:35 p.m. CT in the middle game of the series against the Slammers, sending Collin Sullivan to the hill against Joliet’s Ricky Castro.
Jason Guerette is the Grizzlies' Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations and the "Voice of the Grizzlies." 2023 will be his second season with the organization, handling lead broadcasting duties on the Grizzlies Media Network as well as being in charge of all team press releases and game-day media materials.
2023 will also be Jason's ninth season in the Frontier League after spending 2014-21 in the same role with the Southern Illinois Miners. Overall, he has broadcasted close to 800 games in the league, including playoffs. During the baseball offseason, he serves as a play-by-play broadcaster for Manhattan College and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, with games being seen on ESPN+ among other platforms.
In addition to broadcasting, Jason works as a public address announcer for Seton Hall University women's basketball as well as Columbia University men's and women's basketball. He also spent nine years working "behind the scenes" as a freelance board operator and highlight editor at Westwood One for their coverage of the NFL, NCAA football, and NCAA basketball.
Jason graduated from Seton Hall in 2012 with B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Broadcasting & Visual Media.
